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Tink-Tink-Boom vs. the Death Spiral: The Damage Mechanic in RPGs
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<blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 7756793" data-attributes="member: 6779310"><p>I think people underestimate the impact of melee wounds.</p><p></p><p>Blunt trauma hurts later, often in hours, not immediately, assuming it doesn't cause you to pass out from internal bleeding beforehand. Endorphins are pretty good at masking it.</p><p></p><p>Broken bones, however, are a whole 'nother matter, and most melee wounds on medieval skeletons involve breaking bones. Sometimes cleanly, sometimes not. Many, even ones that would be long term disabling, often show remodelling. </p><p></p><p>Break an arm, and that arm starts to swell pretty quickly. It can be disabling in under a minute - as the body diverts blood to stabilize it... but minor breaks usually simply make lots of pain. More than </p><p></p><p>Break the arm completely - either clean or shattered - and the arm is almost immediately useless. </p><p></p><p>Crack some ribs, and they are impairing for a week or more - but not immediately. (Lots of personal experience.)</p><p></p><p>Actually break them? As in through-break? Breathing suddenly becomes risky. Shatter them? Well, we did some destructive testing on a pig. (Humanely euthanized a few hours before. And eaten, after.) A word to the ribs sent bits of rib through the entire thoracic cavity. Blood in the lungs is highly impairing - not for the pain, but for the loss of oxygen transport.</p><p></p><p>Cut open the brachial, femoral, jugular or carotid? Unconsciousness is in under a minute from blood loss, or stop doing anything else and hold it closed until someone can surgically, magically, or via superglue, stop the bleed. And if it's the carotid or jugular, death is usually within 4 minutes, and loss of consciousness in under 30 - often under 5 seconds.</p><p></p><p>Spinal injuries, even without cutting the cord, can be instantly disabling. </p><p></p><p>Head trauma can be instantly disabling, or mildly impairing (watch the 3rd or later rounds of a few good heavyweight bouts...). trauma to the eye can instantly make ranged combat tricky, and melee much harder.</p><p></p><p>Endorphins can't overcome the physical limitations of damaged tissues - cut, break, or rupture the tendon, and the limb doesn't move. Rip or cut the muscle, it cannot pull the tendon as well, and may rip further. You might not notice the damage, but the damage doesn't care.</p><p></p><p>Death spirals are VERY real - but the chances of one-telling-blow is also very real. A good system has both.</p><p></p><p>Then, there are systems where one hit is all it takes - barring exceptional situations. Firefly comes to mind - any hit takes you out... unless someone spends a plot point to instead turn it into a wound. Not really all that realistic, even if one assumes real people usually have a plot point or two... but it's great as a game artifice.</p><p></p><p>I've played pure one-hit-ends games, I've played general impairment until KO'd games. I've played specific impairment games. I've played no impairment until out of HP games... and only combinations feel right.</p><p></p><p>And only combinations really match the data from the real world. </p><p></p><p>I'm fondest of specific injury with auto-kill and insta-ko chances.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aramis erak, post: 7756793, member: 6779310"] I think people underestimate the impact of melee wounds. Blunt trauma hurts later, often in hours, not immediately, assuming it doesn't cause you to pass out from internal bleeding beforehand. Endorphins are pretty good at masking it. Broken bones, however, are a whole 'nother matter, and most melee wounds on medieval skeletons involve breaking bones. Sometimes cleanly, sometimes not. Many, even ones that would be long term disabling, often show remodelling. Break an arm, and that arm starts to swell pretty quickly. It can be disabling in under a minute - as the body diverts blood to stabilize it... but minor breaks usually simply make lots of pain. More than Break the arm completely - either clean or shattered - and the arm is almost immediately useless. Crack some ribs, and they are impairing for a week or more - but not immediately. (Lots of personal experience.) Actually break them? As in through-break? Breathing suddenly becomes risky. Shatter them? Well, we did some destructive testing on a pig. (Humanely euthanized a few hours before. And eaten, after.) A word to the ribs sent bits of rib through the entire thoracic cavity. Blood in the lungs is highly impairing - not for the pain, but for the loss of oxygen transport. Cut open the brachial, femoral, jugular or carotid? Unconsciousness is in under a minute from blood loss, or stop doing anything else and hold it closed until someone can surgically, magically, or via superglue, stop the bleed. And if it's the carotid or jugular, death is usually within 4 minutes, and loss of consciousness in under 30 - often under 5 seconds. Spinal injuries, even without cutting the cord, can be instantly disabling. Head trauma can be instantly disabling, or mildly impairing (watch the 3rd or later rounds of a few good heavyweight bouts...). trauma to the eye can instantly make ranged combat tricky, and melee much harder. Endorphins can't overcome the physical limitations of damaged tissues - cut, break, or rupture the tendon, and the limb doesn't move. Rip or cut the muscle, it cannot pull the tendon as well, and may rip further. You might not notice the damage, but the damage doesn't care. Death spirals are VERY real - but the chances of one-telling-blow is also very real. A good system has both. Then, there are systems where one hit is all it takes - barring exceptional situations. Firefly comes to mind - any hit takes you out... unless someone spends a plot point to instead turn it into a wound. Not really all that realistic, even if one assumes real people usually have a plot point or two... but it's great as a game artifice. I've played pure one-hit-ends games, I've played general impairment until KO'd games. I've played specific impairment games. I've played no impairment until out of HP games... and only combinations feel right. And only combinations really match the data from the real world. I'm fondest of specific injury with auto-kill and insta-ko chances. [/QUOTE]
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